Singapore — Although his customer alleged that there was a cockroach in his food, the stall owner says the former possibly mistook dried cuttlefish, which was used to cook the soup broth, as a cockroach.
According to a stomp.straitstimes.com report, the customer, a Mr Tan, had placed a lunchtime order for noodles from Taste Beyond Taste Ban Mian & Fish Soup, a food stall at Block 156, Yishun Street 11. The order was delivered by FoodPanda.
The order was for three bowls of noodles for himself and two friends. However, Mr Tan decided to eat before the others because he was hungry.
He was about five to seven mouthfuls into his meal when his spoon scooped up a cockroach with some noodles and soup. One of the legs of the insect was detached.
Mr Tan reported the incident to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on the same day. He also received a full refund from FoodPanda.
However, the SFA’s investigation showed that the stall did not infringe any food safety and hygiene requirements.
In response to media queries, SFA confirmed that an inspection on the food stall was conducted after receipt of feedback. “We did not detect any infringements of our food safety and hygiene requirements during the inspection.”
“Food safety is a joint responsibility,” it said. “While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.”
In a follow-up report by Shin Min Daily News, the stall owner said Mr Tan possibly mistook dried cuttlefish, which was used to cook the soup broth, as cockroach. “If what’s in the noodles is really a cockroach, I’m willing to apologise to Tan,” the stall owner told the Chinese daily.
It was also reported that the owner felt disheartened after the incident and decided to close down the shop. She added that she plans to take a short break and find other job opportunities instead. /TISG
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